Gentrification (n): the process of renovating previously urban neighborhoods that typically consist of working class people due to the anticipated influx of wealthy individuals.
New York City was not nicknamed the smelting pot by Ralph Waldo Emerson in 1912 for no reason — it is indeed one of the most diverse cities in the United States of America. The city boasts a plethora of cultures where people belonging to ethnicities from all over the world converge into this shared beautiful and diverse world.
I have honestly taken for granted how readily available my access is to a wealth of numerous cultures. Having been born and raised in the heart of Queens is a large part of who I am, which is a reason why it genuinely hurts me to see my neighborhood being tampered with. You don't think you'll resonate so much with dilapidated buildings, crowded street corners, and huge crowds of people (who don't know how to walk) until they are taken away from you.
Gentrification has already begun and is underway in numerous counties in New York City. Over 12% of the neighborhoods in the city, in fact, are gentrifying or have already completed gentrification. This isn't confined to the urban core of the city (Manhattan), however, it has been spreading quickly to neighboring counties, as well. If the last time you went to Brooklyn, for instance, was just a few years ago, a visit today would make you feel like you're in a whole different place.
What used to be bodegas and family-owned restaurants lining the blocks are now new hipster eateries that charge outrageous prices to dine. A large reason why the decision to build a headquarters for Amazon in Long Island City, Queens faced so much backlash was because of this stinging fear that this would invariably bring with it a change to the surrounding communities.
To the rich and privileged individuals entering the area, it may seem like they're doing us a favor by bringing the construction of new residential buildings as well as neighborhood facilities. The harsh truth, however, is that along with these new amenities comes inflation, comes the snatching of our neighborhoods, our culture, our identities. Sure, our communities may not be as neat and trim as they could possibly be, but that's something we have grown to live with and accept and have acclimated to. I complain about how shitty my neighborhood is, but would I want the old buildings on my block to be replaced with new high-rise and modern structures? Absolutely not.
Gentrification pushes people out of their homes, silently wiping out communities that have been residing there for decades, rich accumulations of culture disappearing within a moment's time as if they never existed. I think it's incredibly important to try to preserve the culture of our city so we can show the future inhabitants where we came from, what shaped us, the roots to our communities. But at the rate gentrification has been proceeding, it seems like we'll be lucky if we can even show our children.
